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Comment by cookiecaper | Hacker News Reader

I expect this is a precursor to touch-screen iMacs and MacBooks.

The keynote video is worth watching, especially the part where they explain why they would never want to do this.

It is still possible that they haven't figured out how to do touch-screen in a satisfying way for these machines. Taking Jobs at his word doesn't always work. In a year or two he may emerge to declare that they've come up with a "magical" solution.

This is more analogous to multi-tasking. First they poo pooed it, then they came out with a variation that wasn't what people asked for (but was plenty) and then explained why they wont do exactly what people asked for.

They can't do a satisfying touch-screen on computers because it can't be done. There are certain tasks that are fundamentally "mousy" today. Can you imagine doing those tasks with your hands stretched out in front of you? Imagine a designer working in photoshop all day having to hold his arms out in front of him for 8+ hours a day.

And there's no reason to. We're already long used to the indirection of a mouse. The trackpad suitably acts like a touch screen that just isn't the actual screen.

I don't believe that they're going to aim to totally replace mice. I think they're going to allow/encourage touching for relevant applications. It doesn't really matter what they say here, they've said that they had no interest in a lot of different things only to implement them a year or two later.

Yeah well, they never wanted to do full screen apps, phones, tablets or netbook form factors either.

I don't see how this will ever fly... your arm will get so tired!

I expect that they would probably still include keyboard+mouse, just add support for touch too.

perhaps with the imac, but if you can create a macbook that elegantly swivels a la the HP and Lenovo laptops, it would just be a big heavy ipad.

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